To Make You Proud
by Frogs and hugs and smiles
Summary: Just coz she's a girl doesn't mean she can't do anything. All Emily wanted to do was give her father a reason to love her as much as he loved the boys
1. Default Chapter

Chapter 1  
  
  
  
"Father! Father! Nathan's back. Now will you tell us what you're being so  
  
  
  
mysterious about?"  
  
  
  
Benjamin Martin looked down at his daughter and smiled. He watched, smiling,   
  
  
  
as nine year old Meg ran over to her brothers and sisters, picked up Susan- the   
  
  
  
youngest- and came rushing back, closely followed by her siblings. They gathered   
  
  
  
round his feet in an excited rabble. Nathan saw them and, pulling off his boots,   
  
  
  
came over to join them.  
  
  
  
"Now father? Now will you tell us?"  
  
  
  
"Wait! Where's Thomas? And Gabriel?"  
  
  
  
"Out with the men. They went down to the creek."  
  
  
  
"And they wouldn't let me come." William was only six years old but already   
  
  
  
was independent and desperate to be like his older brothers.  
  
  
  
"I should think not" his father told him "The creek is far too dangerous. You   
  
  
  
could be drowned."  
  
  
  
"But you let Thomas and Gabriel go. And Nathan and Sam." William was   
  
  
  
disappointed; being young had its disadvantages.  
  
  
  
"If it's any consolation, he wouldn't let me go either. And I'm much older than   
  
  
  
Nathan and Sam." Emily couldn't resist adding.  
  
  
  
"But you're a girl."  
  
  
  
"So? I'm a better swimmer than you are."  
  
  
  
"But that's not fair. You're bigger than me."  
  
  
  
"Exactly. So I should be allowed to go swimming in the creek with the boys. Why   
  
  
  
can't I father?"  
  
  
  
"It's not ladylike. You're a young woman, you have to conduct yourself in such a   
  
  
  
manner that it is obvious."  
  
  
  
"It's not my fault I was born a girl."  
  
  
  
"It's not my fault either. Now, stop arguing and behave yourself."  
  
  
  
"But father……"  
  
  
  
"Do you want to hear what I've got to say or not? Good. All right then, I've just   
  
  
  
received a letter from your Aunt Charlotte, asking if we would like to spend the   
  
  
  
summer with her in Charles Town."  
  
  
  
"We're going to Charles Town?" Sam cried excitedly.  
  
  
  
"Yup- we leave in the morning." 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
  
  
"Aunt Charlotte! Aunt Charlotte!" the children screamed, racing up the steps and   
  
  
  
almost knocking her over with their excited hugs. Charlotte smiled.  
  
  
  
"My my, you're all so big. Gracious Emily, you're nearly as tall as I am. Hello   
  
  
  
Sam, happy birthday for last week. Meg dear, did you have a good trip over?"   
  
  
  
The children laughed merrily and talked nineteen to the dozen. Charlotte   
  
  
  
desperately tried to make sense of them, but eventually, in despair, gave up.  
  
  
  
"One at a time children! My goodness, what a noise you make. All right William.   
  
  
  
What did you want to tell me?" she asked.  
  
William at first was shy and his voice was almost a whisper. "I can read. Emily   
  
  
  
and Meg taught it me." Charlotte smiled and congratulated him. He beamed at the   
  
  
  
other children proudly.  
  
  
  
"Children, children. Go inside and see what I've got for you." The children   
  
  
  
shrieked with joy and dashed inside. Gabriel and Thomas, who at first had hung   
  
  
  
back, pretending they were more mature than their younger brothers and sisters,   
  
  
  
looked at each other then raced inside. Abigail, the children's nanny, came up the   
  
  
  
steps with four year old Susan in her arms, closely followed by Benjamin.  
  
  
  
"Hello Susan." Charlotte said kindly. Susan stared, her big blue eyes looking up at   
  
  
  
her aunt in awe and wonder. "Is she still not speaking?" Benjamin shook his head.   
  
  
  
All the other children were able to talk from a very early age, almost as soon as   
  
  
  
they were born it seemed. Look at William, barely two years older than Susan,   
  
  
  
who was already learning to read. The death of her mother had been too much for   
  
  
  
his youngest child to take in. Susan, unlike her siblings, was a very shy and   
  
  
  
withdrawn child, who, although friendly enough, had never spoken a word.  
  
"It's good to have you all here again." Charlotte said. Benjamin nodded and   
  
  
  
smiled at her.  
  
  
  
"It's good to see you too" he replied, and followed her inside.   
  
  
  
The children, having found their presents, were running about the house mad and   
  
  
  
excited. Even Gabriel and Thomas for once forgot that they were older than their   
  
  
  
siblings and joined in the excitement merrily. Both Benjamin and Charlotte were   
  
  
  
happy-it did Charlotte good to have all her young nieces and nephews running   
  
  
  
about the place and Benjamin was glad of a break. This was time he could spend   
  
  
  
with his children away from work and the other time consuming things that   
  
  
  
occupied him at home.  
  
  
  
Round the dinner table that night, it wasn't until the children were almost silent   
  
  
  
that Benjamin realised Emily was missing. It was strange-no one else seemed to   
  
  
  
have noticed. Suddenly Gabriel leaned across the table and whispered to his   
  
  
  
father.  
  
  
  
"Father? Have you seen Emily?" Benjamin shook his head. "Thomas?" he asked.   
  
  
  
Thomas shook his head- he'd been with Gabriel all day. They looked at Abigail,   
  
  
  
but no, Abigail had been in the garden with Susan and William. Emily had been   
  
  
  
into town with her remaining brothers and sisters. Nathan wasn't acing any   
  
  
  
different. He merely sat and, as usual, ate solidly. One look at Sam however told   
  
  
  
the children's father that something was up and he knew about it. That child-like,   
  
  
  
mischievous grin spread across his face and he looked across at Meg. Meg looked   
  
  
  
at him sternly and hissed 'shhhh' in his direction. Sam's smile got wider until it   
  
  
  
stretched from ear to ear and eventually broke into a giggle.  
  
  
  
"Sam? Do you know where Emily is?" Sam sniggered and looked at the table.   
  
  
  
Meg suppressed a giggle and, in response to her brothers' silence, all heads craned   
  
  
  
to look at her. She covered her mouth with her hand and looked at Nathan. Her   
  
  
  
elder brother glared fiercely and Sam's giggles progressed to all out laughter.   
  
  
  
"Meg?" Meg laughed and ran out the room, closely followed by Sam, almost   
  
  
  
laughing too hard to walk. The whole family watched them go. Charlotte, having   
  
  
  
forgotten the mischief that children could get up to, coughed to disguise a laugh.   
  
  
  
"Nathan! What has got into everybody today?" Benjamin said sharply. Nathan   
  
  
  
shrugged. Benjamin excused himself and went after his two children. Although   
  
  
  
they were hiding, he could follow the giggles and soon found them, crouching   
  
  
  
behind the big bed in the girls room.  
  
  
  
"Meg?" Meg grinned from ear to ear and tried to look innocent.   
  
  
  
"Where's Emily?" Meg looked away. Benjamin told Sam to get back to the table   
  
  
  
and turned to Meg once making sure Sam had left. "Meg this could be important.   
  
  
  
It doesn't matter where she is; I just want you to tell me the truth. Meg?" Meg   
  
  
  
couldn't help giggling. "Margaret Martin behave yourself. You should know   
  
  
  
better than to laugh when I'm speaking to you. Now I won't ask you again. Tell   
  
  
  
me where Emily is."  
  
  
  
The giggling nine year old shook her head. "We promised not to tell."   
  
  
  
Benjamin was losing patience when a shout from the dining room disrupted him.  
  
  
  
"She's where?" Gabriel yelled. He stormed through to find his father. Meg stared   
  
  
  
solemnly now at her father as he stood up. Gabriel whispered something and   
  
  
  
Benjamin's face contorted with fury. Forgetting about Meg, or Sam or the rest of   
  
  
  
the family still eating their meal, he stormed outside with Gabriel right behind  
  
  
  
him. 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
  
  
  
All heads craned to catch a glimpse of whoever had slammed the door open.   
  
  
  
Emily gasped as her eldest brother and father stormed into the ale house. Davey   
  
  
  
Patterson, a handsome young man about the same age as Gabriel looked at the   
  
  
  
furious men then down at Emily. She only had time to mouth "my father" before   
  
  
  
Benjamin reached them.  
  
  
  
"Emily get outside now." He spoke quietly but his tone told more than the   
  
  
  
volume. Both Davey and Emily stood up. Benjamin, as though only just noticing   
  
  
  
the young man Emily had been with, turned to him fiercely and grabbed his   
  
  
  
collar.  
  
  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing with my daughter?" he hissed.  
  
  
  
"Father!" Emily glared. Benjamin ignored her; Gabriel grabbed her roughly and   
  
  
  
began to pull her outside. She looked round desperately at Davey, who was at a   
  
  
  
loss of what to say and merely stood there, gasping like a fish out of water.  
  
  
  
Once outside, Gabriel turned sternly to his little sister. She interrupted as he   
  
  
  
opened his mouth to speak.  
  
  
  
"I never did anything, honest. I was only talking. I just wanted to meet some   
  
  
  
people and Davey was nice, and, well……."  
  
  
  
Gabriel seized her by the collar and shook her. She seemed slightly disorientated   
  
  
  
and stumbled once he let go.  
  
  
  
"Are you all right? What happened? Emily? Emily? Emily have you been   
  
  
  
drinking?" His concern gave way to anger as he realised his twelve year old sister   
  
  
  
was drunk.  
  
  
  
Benjamin chose that moment to stride out the pub and slam the door shut behind   
  
  
  
him. Emily, as though dragged by some invisible force, stumbled to him. She   
  
  
  
cowered as she looked up at his furious face. He began to speak, well, more of a   
  
  
  
shout, but Emily wasn't listening. She was more concerned about her vision; it   
  
  
  
was all blurry and there seemed to be three Benjamins towering over her. Her   
  
  
  
father, furious at her seemingly casual concern, raised his hand and Emily chose   
  
  
  
that convenient moment to collapse.  
  
  
  
He picked her up and, nodding to Gabriel, started walking. 


End file.
